VICTOBER 2025 discussion

A place to discuss Ange's challenge to read a novel by one of the hosts favorite authors - Elizabeth Gaskell, Thomas Hardy, Anne Bronte, Charlotte Bronte, or Charles Dickens.

I'll be doing this one several times over, actually! I'll be reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Ann Bronte, doing the readalong of Wives and Daughters by Gaskell, and reading something by Dickens. I'm leaning towards David Copperfield.

Whitney, I’m planning on tackling David Copperfield. I’m quite intimidated by the length but have access to a great audiobook version read by Nicholas Houlton that will hopefully help.

I’ll read a book by Thomas Hardy. I’ve already read The mayor of Casterbridge, The Woodlanders and Far from the madding crowd but I hadn’t heard about The return of the native and I’m very intrigued, so it’s my choice.

Kate wrote: "Whitney, I’m planning on tackling David Copperfield. I’m quite intimidated by the length but have access to a great audiobook version read by Nicholas Houlton that will hopefully help."
I'm a little intimidated too! I have an audiobook I can use from the library. I have PTSD, so audiobooks, buddy reads, etc help me to stay on track.

Hey, how did Anne Bronte end up here? I thought there were four of you... I am sure I'll be reading Gaskell for the readalong and I'm also considering Hardy as Tess of the D'Urbervilles is sitting on my shelf, but I'm still working on my TBR :)

Alessandra, Ange couldn’t choose between Anne Bronte or Thomas Hardy 🙂

Oh, that actually makes me happy! I'm sorry, I must have missed that piece of information... I have copies of The Tenant of the Wildfell Hall and Tess of the d'Urbervilles just waiting to be read! Anne is the only Bronte I haven't read anthing from yet so I'm really looking forward to it.

I am going to read Lois the Witch by Elizabeth Gaskell (1861)



:)

Juliana, I keep hearing great things about Lois the witch!

I will be reading Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell with the readalong.

I've finally gotten around to picking my tbr for this event and for this challenge I'll be reading Hardy's far from the madding crowd. I've been meaning to read this one for a while now and no time like victober!

Also, Copperfield is definitely intimidating in size, but totally worth it. it goes quickly.

I am reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte, The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens and Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. :D

I'm going to be reading the group read Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell and also Selected Poems of Thomas Hardy.

I decided on David Copperfield for this challenge. I found an audio read by Simon Vance which should help me get through it.

Plan to read Tess of the Durbevilles by Thomas Hardy for this challenge but will also try to read North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (am planning to read a Dickens and Bronte in my other challenges)

I'll be reading Great Expectations by Dickens. It's been on my tbr for a long time and I think now is the best time to read it.

I'll be reading "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte. It is a re-read, but it's been a while and I'm going to read her biography by Elizabeth Gaskell during Victober, so why not combine it :-) The biography has been on my to-read-list for a while now.

I will be reading "David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens.

Oops I started the wrong Mary Gaitskill, North and South, so will do that one here. Wives and Daughters for general read-thanks for warning on length! Nicholas Nickelby for proper noun. I got stuck half way through this summer after reading a good review, but will persevere. With Far from the Madding Crowd I am now overcommitted—so many choices.

I find Thomas Hardy’s books really intimidating so I think I’ll have a look at which book of his I can find in the library and go for it!

Of course, I’m reading “Wives and Daughters” by Elizabeth Gaskill, but I so would like to read “Far from the Madding Crowd” by Thomas Hardy for this challenge specifically.

For this challenge I wanted to read one piece from each of the four original authors (will be reading Anne Bronte for one of the other challenges), but in consideration of the time restraints and in an attempt to be somewhat realistic, I have included some shorter works as well.

Gaskell: I’ll be reading the read-along Wives and Daughters.
Dickens: I’ll be reading his short story A Dinner at Poplar Walk, his first published work.
Hardy (my favorite of the four): I’ll be reading An Indiscretion in the Life of an Heiress, a novella.
C. Brontë: I’ll be reading Villette, which has been sitting on my bookshelf for way too long.

Toni wrote: "For this challenge I wanted to read one piece from each of the four original authors (will be reading Anne Bronte for one of the other challenges), but in consideration of the time restraints and i..."

This is such a great idea! I'm tempted by the Dickens piece. I'll have to check and see if I own that. Thanks for the idea.

Toni thanks for this idea and sharing it. With my school reading load and my classroom tasks I needed a shortened reading list. I love it!

I would love to read something by Dickens and find out wheter I like him as much as Hardy or the Bronte sisters. Which of his books do you think would be a good starting point? :)

Carmen wrote: "I would love to read something by Dickens and find out wheter I like him as much as Hardy or the Bronte sisters. Which of his books do you think would be a good starting point? :)"

I still really enjoy A Christmas Carol. I’ve already reread it once this year and it never gets old!

I've picked Villette by Charlotte Bronte for this challenge.

Several of the books I'm reading could fit this, but I've chosen Hard Times by Dickens for this particular challenge.

Carmen wrote: "I would love to read something by Dickens and find out wheter I like him as much as Hardy or the Bronte sisters. Which of his books do you think would be a good starting point? :)"

A Christmas Carol, or Great Expectations and David Copperfield are great places to start with Dickens.

Mrs Lecter wrote: "Carmen wrote: "I would love to read something by Dickens and find out wheter I like him as much as Hardy or the Bronte sisters. Which of his books do you think would be a good starting point? :)"

..."
Thanks! A Christmas Carol it is!

I am tackling my first ever Thomas Hardy book and reading Far from the Madding Crowd. I just sat down in my comfy chair and turned to the first page. I’m excited!

Carmen wrote: "I would love to read something by Dickens and find out wheter I like him as much as Hardy or the Bronte sisters. Which of his books do you think would be a good starting point? :)"

I second what Mrs. Lecter said--A Christmas Carol.

Nataliemeree wrote: "I am tackling my first ever Thomas Hardy book and reading Far from the Madding Crowd. I just sat down in my comfy chair and turned to the first page. I’m excited!"

Same here! I'm only two chapters in, but I'm already in love!! I'm usually oblivious to the charms of descriptive passages but Hardy's are just so entrancing, and that's with my being still unable to form any kind of visual image in my head! The beauty of his words and the poetic quality of his writing were alone sufficient to make me a Hardy fan. Fingers crossed it only gets better from here on.

For Ange's challenge I will be reading a book by her favorite author - Thomas Hardy.
I read "Tess" in high school and liked it but wasn't a favorite.
Last year I finally read my second Hardy "Far from the Madding Crowd" and loved it.
For Victober 2018 I have chosen "The Return of the Native".

For Ange's challenge, I'm going to read Thomas Hardy. I've been wanting to go back to his world. I've read Tess of the D'Urbervilles and though I really need to reread it, I'm going to go with Far From The Madding Crowd. Just because I've seen the original film so many times in my acting class and I'd gotten the film as a gift from my Acting teacher. Clearly its a story she feels I should investigate further!

I listened to Great Expectations by Charles Dickens on audio book. This was a reread for me. (I never listen to audio the first time around.)

I just finished Far from the Madding Crowd by Hardy and loved it! I was not the biggest fan of Bathsheba, honestly. I felt sorry for her at times, but also had times of thinking, “well, that’s what you get when you make stupid choices!” Lol overall I loved it!

ashappyasiget wrote: "Rainey wrote: "I just finished Far from the Madding Crowd by Hardy nd loved it! I was not the biggest fan of Bathsheba, ..."
I read it in this voctober as well. An amazing cautionary tale about lov..."

I loved Farmer Oak! I’m trying not to do spoilers for anyone who hasn’t read it, but I kept wanting to slap Bathsheba for her treatment of him throughout the book.

I am reading and enjoying Wessex Poems and Other Verses by Hardy.

I read The Mayor of Casterbridge and really enjoyed it - my first ever Thomas Hardy book. Will definitely now have to go and read some of his others!

I’m reading Wives and Daughters for this, my first Gaskell. I’m behind on the readalong but very absorbed in the story so I hope I will catch up this weekend

For Ange's challenge I am reading Mary Barton, the first book written by Elizabeth Gaskell.

This is the first book I have read of this author, I hope to read North and South soon as I am enjoying it very much.

Yesterday I finished "The Return of the Native".
Loved it!

Mrs Lecter wrote: "Carmen wrote: "I would love to read something by Dickens and find out wheter I like him as much as Hardy or the Bronte sisters. Which of his books do you think would be a good starting point? :)"

..."
Good to hear! I checked out A Christmas Carol from my library yesterday. I thought it was a good short one to fit in since I just started Victober yesterday, and I LOVE Christmas.

Finished Oliver Twist last night, which actually meets most of the challenges, so I'm excited about that. Absolutely loved it.

April wrote: "Mrs Lecter wrote: "Carmen wrote: "I would love to read something by Dickens and find out wheter I like him as much as Hardy or the Bronte sisters. Which of his books do you think would be a good st..."

I may be re-reading A Christmas Carol too, if I’ve the time. Have you seen the movie The Man Who Invented Christmas, with Dan Stevens? It’s about how, and why, Dickens wrote this book and it’s a fun watch.

I’m currently reading the professor by Charlotte Brontë

I have 2 planned for this - Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte, and Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations.